Since you guys just mentioned Arkane, I just had a weird thought (the first person to point out that my thinking is frequently weird anyway gets a free trip to the dentist ).
Anyway, I got this weird feeling that PB might be working on Arx Fatalis 2 . I know. Sounds crazy but do you remember when we exchanged PMs as we were wondering why Sascha Henrichs from PB was looking for a new job in January, Gorath?
Maybe the negotiations between PB and JoWood have already failed a looong time ago and they just kept it under wraps until now? Maybe PB managed to score a deal with someone (Ubi?) for Arx 2 months ago already. Now why Arx 2?
Well, KaiRo mentioned a few times that their next project would be very grim/dark. I think he actually meant this in the way the game looks. I always thought it was an obscure hint that the Gothic III add-on might be one huge underground dungeon area or something like that.
This is supported by various comments from Ralf (the art director) who took a trip to Paris in spring (vacation with his wife) and said he would take a lot of phtotgraphs of old walls and ruins etc for creating textures for their next project. Obviously textures like that would most likely be used to create interior tiles.
Maybe the "next project" at that point was already Arx 2? I know. Nuts. But who knows…?

Oh goodie another console game. Is the PC market so horrible that publishers just can't justify making a great game that is for the PC. Oh well I loved Gothic and it will be missed now that they are going this route…If there is Arx 2 in the works then at least I'll have something to look foreward to now that Gothic is dead in my mind.

I was thinking Molynuex and Lionhead Studios should take up the Gothic torch!

Honest.. that was a joke.

But what about CDProjekt? Yes, I know that's rediculous, but mention them because I have always thought that the art direction for The Witcher blended in perfectly with the world of Gothic. Just from what I have seen so far, I sense a very similar mood between the two games.

— ..& so they take the fiction all out of the Jabberwock & I recognize & accept him as a fact. - Mark Twain, May 30, 1880

Hmm, bad news indeed. One can still hope, but to be honest it seems unlikely that we'll ever get another true Gothic game.

If another company had to do G4 I would say it should be a rather small and fairly new studio (although, they would have to be very talented of course). I think there is simply too much risk in doing a "true" Gothic game for any big or very established company to do it - they have responsibilities to their investors and employees to not burn too much money on a hard-core product that only a select few PC gamers truely enjoy. To do a true Gothic game would require a young and fresh team that isn't completely burned out by the extremely tough game business yet… a team with a passion for role-playing games and with a strong dream of doing a truely amazing game, just the way they would like to see it

Wath about the Larian studios?
They did a great job with divine divinty and are busy with nr 2, but what about after that.
But I think PB will be the only one to make a game in the same way as in the Gothic Universe with the real gothic feeling but just with an other name.
SAD DAYS IN HISTORY

no we don't wan't a hack n' slash game like the Divine Divinity games and also they make iso games and this is a third person game. The company that made "Two Worlds" could work since it wouldn't be too big of a stretch for them to go to a Gothic game since they already have the style and "Two Worlds" is a third person game. They are also better so far with having very little problems with their game and patching the problems up very quickly and accurately. (three well done patches so far in 2 weeks)

Larian?! They can't even finish their own game, much less tackle someone else's. I don't even like the Gothic franchise, but I'd hate to see Larian get the contract. I do hope to see D2 someday. I think it'll be out shortly after Grimoire and Duke Nukem Forever

Originally Posted by Corwin
But why wouldn't Arkane make Arx 2? It's their baby!!

Because they're busy doing The Crossing. And presumably the multiple (?) sequels to Dark Messiah that were just announced? And the only context I've heard them mention it is by saying things to the effect "We'd like to do it someday."

Granted, the 360-only DM: Elements may be farmed out to someone else. It's unclear who'll be doing it.

And it's a curious response. "Hey guys! They're making Deus Ex 3, System Shock 3, Fallout 3, and Gothic 4! Isn't that great?!?" To which everyone wails and screams, "No-o-o!!!" Shouldn't we be happy? We're getting sequels to games we love. And everyone's unhappy.

Originally Posted by Jabberwocky
This doesn't make any sense at all. I'm a die-hard Gothic fan but let's face it… the Gothic franchise is a sinking ship. Why would JW polish the brass of a sinking ship?

But seriously, if another studio took over the series and made a 4th game, what studio would you want it to be???

Sinking ship or not, Gothic got JoWood out of serious financial trouble before, and as they admit themselves, its their flagship product.